Improvement in car-coupling wedges



- Inventor THE GRAPH [C C0 N.Y.

NITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLING WEDGES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 185,087, dated December5, I876; application filed July 13, 1876.

To all whom it may concern: 1

Be it known that I, WM. B. DUNNING, of Geneva, in the county of Ontarioand State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Expansive Wedge forTightening (Jar- Uouplings; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad tothe accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a side elevation of my expansive wedge, the dotted linesrepresenting its adaptation to the couplings. Fig. 2 is a top View ofthe same, thewedge w being shown in section on the line :0 in Fig. l.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and substantialdevice, to be inserted in the link between the draw-heads ofcarcouplings, for the purpose of taking up the slack between thedraw-heads, caused by the extra length of the link, which is necessaryto permit the introduction of the couplingpin, when the cars are backedtogether. It consists in the employment of an expansive wedge or key, soformed as to be readily adjusted to fill the space between thedrawheads, whether a longer or a shorter link be employed for coupling.

I provide a sort of wedge-shaped key, 70, having a projection, c, on oneor both of its fiat or parallel sides at the narrow end. Its inclined ortaper edge may be suitably roughened, preferably by fine serrations, asshown, which latter plan permits the free introduction of the wedge w,and at the same time prevents its discharge by the vertical jostlings ofthe cars while in motion. The wedge w is formed of uniform thicknessfrom end to end, and maybe provided with asuitable ring or holder, B, atits broad end, that being the top when adjusted in the coupling, whichlatter should be of a width, relatively to its length, to make itsinclined or roughened edge correspond to that of the key It, while theiropposite edges shall be parallel, or nearly so, when they are placedtogether in the link, as shown in Fig. 1. The object of sloping theserrations on the key, from the point toward the broad end, and those onthe key in the opposite direction, is to allow the wedge to be insertedand pressed down into position readily, and at the same time permit itsremoval from the link, Without withdrawing the key also. Instead of thisplan of serrating the contiguous edges of the key and wedge, they may beroughenedby means of fine shallow creases simply or otherwise. Thecreases, or even the serrations, may be made transversely across theiredges, or obliquely.

What I claim as my invention is- The expansive wedge, composed of thekey It and wedge w, constructed to operate eonjointly, substantially asshown and described, for the purpose or taking up the slack in theordinary link-coupling for cars, as set forth.

This specification signed this 20th day of June, 1876, in presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

WM. B. DUNNING.

Witnesses:

WM. S. LOUGHBOROUGH, A. L. MABBETT.

